Trump Snipes at ‘Fake News’ While Explaining First Lady Melania’s Surprise Epstein Address

President Donald Trump blamed the “fake news” for the first lady, Melania Trump, coming out and making a statement about convicted child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.

While speaking to the press outside the White House on Thursday, Trump was asked about his wife’s address, denying any connections to Epstein, a moment that shocked many in the political world and those connected to Epstein’s case.

“She had none,” Trump said about connections between his wife and Epstein.

Trump and Epstein were former friends whose relationship soured. The president has denied any knowledge or connection to Epstein’s crimes while the billionaire was alive.

Asked why Melania Trump made the statement, the president said it was because the “fake news” kept linking her to Epstein.

“Because the fake news said she did. She had none. I think that’s been proven,” he said.

In an address last week, the first lady made a statement about Epstein, saying she had a “casual correspondence” with Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Epstein who is currently serving 20 years for sex trafficking. The statement came after files released by the Department of Justice revealed an email that appeared to be Mrs. Trump talking to Maxwell and calling her “G.”

The first lady has previously gone after people who have claimed that she met Trump through Epstein, something she’s denied. Democratic strategist James Carville deleted an episode of his podcast and apologized after receiving a letter from the first lady’s lawyer.

Melania Trump said:

I have never been friends with Epstein. Donald [Trump] and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach. To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice, [Ghislaine] Maxwell. My email applied to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence. My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note.

Watch above via CNN.

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